Researchers from MIT and University of California are finding out a ne... The cerebral cortex is a sheet of around 10 billion neurons divided...New evidence indicates that the development of cortical areas involv... Recent evidence has altered researchers' understanding of how corti...Sur chair of the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences at MIT...

Researchers from MIT and University of California are finding out a new theory on the formation of brain cortex through a rich array of signals which connect other brain regions forming a new processing network//.

The cerebral cortex is a sheet of around 10 billion neurons divided into distinctly separate areas that process particular aspects of sensation, movement and cognition. To what extent are these areas predetermined by genes or shaped by the environment? The protomap and protocortex theories developed before 1990 claimed, respectively, that the task-specific regions of the cortex are spawned by a zone of "originator" cells; or that long nerve fibers from the thalamus, a large ovoid mass that relays information to the cortex from other brain regions, are activated by external stimuli to impose identity on the homogeneous blob.

New evidence indicates that the development of cortical areas involves "a rich array of signals," an interwoven cascade of developmental events, some internal and some external, according to co-authors Mriganka Sur, Sherman Fairchild Professor of Neuroscience at the Picower Institute for Learning and Memory and the MIT Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, and John L. R. Rubenstein of UCSF.

"Recent evidence has altered researchers' understanding of how cortical areas form, connect with other brain regions, develop unique processing networks and adapt to changes in inputs," Sur said. "Understanding basic mechanisms of cortical development are central to understanding disorders of development."

Sur, chair of the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences at MIT, is leading an ambitious, multifaceted approach to understanding the genetic, molecular and behavioral aspects of autism.

In the Science review article, "Patterning and Plasticity of the Cerebral Cortex," Sur and Rubenstein point out that transcription factors are key. A transcription factor is a protein that binds DNA at a sp
ecific site where it regulates transcription, or the process of copying genetic material.

In the brain's early prenatal development, transcription factors control the birth and growth of new neurons, neurons' movement and connectivity within the brain, and which ones live and which are killed off.

Later, at a critical point in development, activity in the form of outside stimulation refines the brain's topography and networks to create the specific functions and areas of the postnatal mammalian brain.

(Date:12/8/2016)... ... December 08, 2016 , ... ... (WCRI) officially opened registration today for its 33rd Annual Issues & Research ... . , The theme of the conference is “Persistent Challenges and New Opportunities: ...

(Date:12/8/2016)... ... ... CURE Media Group, the nation’s leading digital and print media enterprise focused ... in efforts to combat lung cancer, announced CURE Media Group President Michael J. Hennessy, ... is honored to team up with Upstage Lung Cancer in order to make major ...

(Date:12/8/2016)... ... December 08, 2016 , ... ... as possible. With this in mind, SIGVARIS has created a new line of ... during bed rest and provide the benefits of graduated compression when transitioning from ...

(Date:12/8/2016)... ... December 08, 2016 , ... The Dan ... headquartered in Jefferson County, is announcing the launch of a charity drive to ... number of homeless women and children in Birmingham has grown steadily since the ...

(Date:12/8/2016)... -- Australia Ophthalmic Lasers Market Outlook to 2022 ... Outlook to 2022", provides key market data on the ... millions of US dollars, volume (in units) and average ... Lasers and YAG Lasers. The report also provides ... these market segements, and global corporate-level profiles of the ...

(Date:12/8/2016)... 2016 KEY FINDINGS The global ... 2017-2023. Various reasons for growth of the medical lifting ... of chronic diseases, high recovery cost of injuries and ... Medical lifting sling refers to an assistive device that ... slings connect to the lift and hold the patient. ...

(Date:12/8/2016)... Dec 8, 2016 Research and Markets has announced the ... to their offering. ... This report analyzes the worldwide markets for Endodontic Supplies in ... Canada , Japan , Europe , ... of World. Annual estimates and forecasts are provided for the period ...